Acetylene-gas generator.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS STEVENS TOWLE, OF STANTON, MICHIGAN.

AGETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. TowLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stanton, in the county of Montcalm and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Acetylene-Gas Generator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to carbid holders employed in the generation of a volume of acetylene gas as a motive agent for portable engines, and more particularly for automobile vehicles; and the purpose of the invention is to provide novel details of construction for a carbid holder, that afford a compact, convenient device of the character indicated, which is positive in its action for the removal of spent residuum and the constant exposure of fresh carbid to water jets, thus insuring a uniform generation of gas for supply as a motive agent.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side view of a water' supply tank, a residuum receiver hung from the tank, and the improved carbid holder held in the receiver and exposed to view by the removal of a part of the side wall of said receiver; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view of the improved carbid holder; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the holder, from which the carbid has been removed.

In the usual construction of a gas generator for a portable engine or automobile vehicle using acetylene gas as a motive agent, a water tank such as is indicated by the numeral 5 in Fig. l, is employed. The tank 5 is usually cylindrical in its side wall, and in the present'form thereof, is provided with a filler opening closed by a cap a and also is furnished with a discharge nozzle o and an air vent cock c. The bottom wall 5a of the water holding tank 5, is secured within the side wall thereof a short distance above the lower edge of the latter, and inside of the depending circular flange thus produced, the upper edge of a cylindrically-Walled receiver 6, is fitted.

From the exterior of the receiver 6, at opposite points near the upper edge thereof, two ears d project, whcreon the lower ends of Specification of Letters Patent.

` Application mea october 29, 190s.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No. 460,020.

two hanger rods 7 are pivoted, said rods which extend up at the outer side of the tank 5 and pass through bracket platesc, that overhang the periphery of the tank at its upper end, receive nuts g on their 4threaded ends, and it will be noted that a screwed adjustment of the nuts in a proper' direction will impinge the upper edge of the receiver 6 upon the bottom wall 5a of the tank 5.

The carbid holder that is the essential feature of the invention, comprises a cylin- Y drically-walled receptacle formed of suitable plate metal, having a foraminated bottom wall 8fl which is secured on the side wall 8 that is also numerously perforated, as shown at 7L in the drawings. The diameter of the cylindrical wall 8 of the carbid holder, is so proportioned with relation to the inner diameter of the receiver 6, that when placed centrally therein, an annular space i of suitable width will be afforded between said parts, as shown clearly in Fig. l. There are a suitable number of short legs m secured on the bottom wall 8a, that serve to support the holder so as to produce a space i between the bottom wall of the receiver 6 and that of the holder.

The carbid holder is open at its upper end, and the defining edge of the side wall 8 is reinforced by securing a stout wire ringthereon, as shown at n in Fig. 2. Centrally on the bottom wall 8a ofthe carbid holder, a hollow cylindrical post 9 is erected and secured, said post having the upper end thereof covered with a conical deflector 9a. Above the conical deflector 9 a, a cylindrically-walled chamber l() is formed or secured on the post 9, which extends to a point near the upper edge of the holder wall 8. In the wall of the chamber 10 for a distance above the conical deilector 9a, a large number of spaced perforations o are formed, this series of small holes extending up about one half the height of the chamber 10. Upon the upper edge of the cylindrical chamber l0, a dished radial fiange l()a is secured, that serves as a shallow funnel for the introduction of water into the chamber 10. The space around the post 9 and the chamber l0,is filled with calcium carbid A in small fragments,as is shown in Fig. 2.

ln operation, drops of water fed from the tank 5, fall in succession upon the conical deflector 9a and are thence deiiected laterally toward the perforated wall of the chamber 10. The sprayed water passes through the perforations o and moistens the carbid adj acent thereto. By capillary attraction, the sprayed water is caused to pervade the mass of carbid adjacent to the deflector 9a and by chemical action generates acetylene gas, that is conducted from the generator to a point for use as a motive agent.

The sprayed introduction of water laterally into the carbid holder, may be graduated so as to control the amount or volume of gas evolved from a decomposition of the carbid, by regulating the feed of Water down into the chamber l0. The saturation of the carbid is downward, and when the carbid is consumed that is in the holder below the conical deiiector and converted into powdered residuum, the motion of the vehicle will so ljolt the carbid holder that the waste material will be sifted through the side wall 8 and the bottom Wall 8 of the holder. This removal of the refuse matter lpermits the carbid that was above the deflector 91L to descend by its gravity, and present a fresh supply of the carbid for conversion into gas as before explained.

By providing means for the spraying inreduction of Water, a short distance above the bottom of the carbid holder, excessive saturation of the carbid and of the residuum is obviated, which is essential for the continuous evolution of gas until the carbid supply in the holder is exhausted, or the water feed is stopped, which will control the genen ation of the gaseous motive agent.

It is obvious that the receiver and carbid holder may have rectangular forms and be equally as eifective in service. lFurther the generatorl may be increased in dimensions for the reception of more than one water feeding device and the consequent evolution of a greater volume of gas.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new Iand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the class described, a water tank, a receiver having an open top, means for clamping the open top of the receiver against the bottom of the tank, a carbid holder in the receiver, said carbid holder having perforate side and bottom walls and an open top, and having its walls spaced apart'from the walls of thereceiver, a chainber at the center of the holder, a conical delector spaced above the bottom of the carbid holder within the chamber, said chamber having its side Walls perforated above the deiiector, means in the bottoni of the tank for supplying water to the chamber, said chamber having a flaring ton for engaging the bottom of the tank, said top encircling the water supply means.

2. In a device of the class described, a water tank, a receiver having an open top, means for clamping the open top of the receiver against the bottom of the tank, acarbid holder in the receiver, said carbid holder having perforate side and bottom walls and an open top, and having its walls spaced apart from the walls of the receiver, a chamber at the center of the holder, a conical dei'lector within the chamber, said chamber' having its side walls perforated above the dcflector, and means in the bottom of the "ta-ni; for supplying water to the chamber.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the "presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS STEVENS TOW/*LE CHARLES A. HAMMOND, O. C. MCKEE. 

